Psalm 129

This is the 10th psalm of the fifteen Song of Ascents psalms

1 Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth, may Israel now say:

2 Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth: yet they have not prevailed against me.

3 The plowers plowed upon my back: they made long their furrows.

4 The Lord is righteous: he hath cut asunder the cords of the wicked.

5 Let them all be confounded and turned back that hate Zion.

6 Let them be as the grass upon the housetops, which withereth afore it groweth up:

7 Wherewith the mower filleth not his hand; nor he that bindeth sheaves his bosom.

8 Neither do they which go by say, The blessing of the Lord be upon you: we bless you in the name of the Lord. (KJV)

Sometimes we seem to forget verse four, “but the LORD is righteous” when we look at the events around us. As Psalm 128 explains we need to have the fear of the Lord and be walking in his ways to be blessed; here the psalmist warns against making this saying “The blessing of theLORDbe upon you; we blessyou in the name of the LORD.” to those who oppress Israel and hate Zion. To fear God is to acknowledge God’s love and future desires for Israel. Therefore, keep your eyes on Israel because that is the nation that God in using to determine the Second Coming of his Son.

Belief in the Jesus as your Lord and Savior can present problems for some individuals around the world. Most of the time I believe Christians only have concerns and prayers that center around their social unit. In large portions of the world Christians are not only looked down upon, but are also persecuted for their beliefs. We must also realized that the doctrines and belief system different greatly even within the circles of Christianity. The one truth that we do share is Jesus is our Lord and Savior, and we build the foundation of our belief system on Him. So as you read this psalm realize that other believers in the world are greatly oppressed and this psalm offers them the assurance that the Lord is watching over them.

Reading this psalm reveals the true realization of the power of the sinful nature of man. As verse one and two repeat this phase “Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth.” is as true today as it was when this psalm was written. Today the battle against God’s chosen nation (Israel) and those that want to totally destroy them is probably as strong today as it was during the time of Haman the Agagite during the reign of Ahasuerus king of Persia and Media. My prayer must be for Israel if I truly believe in Genesis 12:3 “And I will bless those who bless you, and the one that curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”